BunyanThroughout history, the world has witnessed the influence of great men who made it their purpose to advance the word of God. There have been pastors who travel all over their country preaching in every church they can find. There have been pastors who have had to hold secret services or face imprisonment for the rest of their lives. Some missionaries have risked their lives to bring the gospel to the most remote places in the world. There have been some amazing Christian authors who have written some of the most compelling books to ever hit the bestseller list. Yet there is one man who participated in all these extraordinary tasks; a man whose whole life revolved around the Bible. He was known not only in his hometown of Bedford, London, but throughout Europe and throughout Asia. (In fact, one of his books sold 200,000 copies in the first three days in China alone (Sadler).) This man, John Bunyan, influenced the lives of many people all over the world. In fact, the life, works, and struggles of John Bunyan have proven to be among the most influential in Christian history thus far; his writings also paved the way for theological allegories. John Bunyan was born on November 28, 1628 in Elstow, England. Very little is known about his childhood until he joined the parliamentary army. His father was a handyman and a very poor man. John Bunyan had very little education and was considered a simple handyman. However, when he was just a boy, his mother died; and his father remarried only two months later. John Bunyan was so dismayed by his father's timely remarriage that he left to join the Parliamentary Army (Latham). There are very few things known about...... middle of paper ......t read novels on the shelves today. John Bunyan was on his way to a meeting when he stopped to settle a dispute between a father and son. Because of this, he was caught in a rainstorm. He fell seriously ill and died shortly after, on August 31, 1688, at the age of 59 (Douglas). John Bunyan's life was exemplary to say the least. He devoted himself to the work of God until his very last day. He grew up poor and had virtually no education, but that didn't stop him; God used him in more ways than just a typical missionary or preacher. John Bunyan's story will undoubtedly live on for centuries, surpassed only by his writings. He was truly a man after God's own heart. “I love to hear of my Lord, and wherever I have seen the imprint of his shoe on earth, I have desired to put mine there also. » - John Bunyan. (John Bunyan.-Christian)